Intercaucasia
Overview Intercaucasia, officially The Mountainous Republic of Intercaucasia 'is a sovereign state centred around the Caucasus Mountain Range in Eurasia. The capital and largest settlement is Tbilisi. Intercaucasia covers an area of ~98'742 mi² and has a population of 448'100 as of January 1966. Intercaucasia is a Unitary Semi-Presidential Constitutional Republic, with the government elected through a representative democracy. Intercaucasia consists of three major countries - Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Intercaucasia does not follow a federal system, power is distributed to the countries of Intercaucasia via devolution, thus maintaining a Unitary Government. History '(WIP) Geography, Climate & Biodiversity Geography Intercaucasia is a very mountainous country; it is located among the Caucasus Mountains, a system consisting of two parts, the Greater Caucasus Range to the north, and the Lesser Caucasus Range to the south. The former of these two is the tallest. It's highest point is at the volcanic peak of Mount Elbrus, which reaches 5'642 metres above sea level. Furthermore, the term 'Lesser Caucasus Range' is often used to describe the mountainous highlands south of Georgia where Armenia is situated, this area includes the Armenian Plateau. The highest point here is Mount Ararat, just outside Yerevan, at 5'137 metres above sea level. Overall, most of Intercaucasia can be characterized as being made up of different, interconnected, mountain ranges, which are largely volcanic in origin. Climate The climate of Intercaucasia is extremely diverse, considering it's size. The Greater Caucasus Range plays an important part in moderating Intercaucasia's southern climate, preventing cold air masses from passing beyond it. The Lesser Caucasus Range also protects parts of Intercaucasia from the influence of hot air masses from the south, but only partially since the Lesser Caucasus Range doesn't extend to the south of Azerbaijan or the area around Lake Van, making the climate in these places mostly in common with Persia than Intercaucasia as a whole. Biodiversity Intercaucasia is an extremely diverse country in terms of fauna, containing examples of over 5'000 different species of animals, many of which are endemic to the country. A large number of carnivorous mammals reside in the forests of the Caucasus Mountains. For instance, Brown Bears, Wolves, Lynxes, and the endemic Caucasian Leopards are to be found. The Common Pheasant is an endemic bird of the Caucasus region, which has been introduced as an important bird of game worldwide. Government & Politics Intercaucasia is a Unitary Representative Democratic Semi-Presidential Constitutional Republic with the President as head of state, and Prime Minister as head of government. President of the Mountainous Republic The current presidential incumbent is Nikoloz Alasania. Responsibilities as President include: * Being Head of State for the Mountainous Republic of Intercaucasia. * Being the international representation of Intercaucasia. * Serving a 6-year term until the next general election, which afterwards they will not be able to run for president a second time. Prime Minister The current Prime Ministerial incumbent is Karlo Gordeli. Responsibilities as Prime Minister include: * Being Head of Government for the Mountainous Republic of Intercaucasia * Presiding over the National Executive Council. * Serving a 6-year term until the next general election, which afterwards they can run for Prime Minister a second time. * Appointing the next National Executive Council proportional to the vote share from the recent general election (appointing in favour of one's own party and not proportional to the vote share goes against the constitution). National Executive Council (Executive Branch) The National Executive Council is the cabinet of the Intercaucasian government. It is elected region by region and consists of several Senior Ministers, each with their own Junior Ministers, who are all appointed by the Prime Minister proportionally to the vote share from general elections. Each Senior Minister and their respective Junior Ministers preside over a department, for example, the Department for Health. As a result of this system, the National Executive Council cannot be dominated by one party alone. (WIP) National Senate (Upper Legislative House) (WIP) National Assembly (Lower Legislative House) (WIP) Supreme National Court (Judiciary) (WIP) Sub-National Governments of Intercaucasia (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan) Demographics (WIP) Culture (WIP) Cities, Towns & Outposts City Small City * Tbilisi (Capital) (WIP) Town * Kutaisi Kutaisi was founded in April of 1964 as a small mining outpost. It is located in an area rich with iron and zinc ores, making it especially useful to the economy of Intercaucasia. It is the headquarters of KutSam, a government-sponsored, native Intercaucasian mining company specializing in iron, zinc, and copper ores. * Yerevan Yerevan was founded in July of 1964 as the permanent capital of Armenia and seat of the Armenian Assembly. As well as that, Yerevan is located on a preferred route taken by numerous nomadic trade caravans coming from the east, making it an overland commercial hub. Furthermore, it is nearby to two known deposits of iron and copper ores, making Yerevan a fairly important mining settlement. * Kars Kars was founded in October of 1964 as a mining settlement. Kars is extremely valuable to the Intercaucasian economy due to it's proximity to gold and coal deposits; their extraction forms a majority of the profit made from the industrial sector there. * Trabzon Trabzon was founded in January of 1965 as a port settlement. Trabzon is the largest maritime commercial hub in Intercaucasia, serving as an international port. The headquarters of the Intercaucasian Navy is located in Trabzon. In terms of local resources, Trabzon is adjacent to a deposit of iron ore and there is a steel processing plant inside the settlement. * Ganja Ganja was founded in April of 1965 as an oil-drilling and mining settlement. Ganja is located near significant amounts of oil reserves, making it quite beneficial to the economy. Also, Ganja has a deposit of copper ore within it's vicinity. Therefore, it is a fairly useful mining settlement. * Baku Baku was founded in July of 1965 as Intercaucasia's central port on the Caspian Sea and a permanent capital of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, Baku is adjacent to several deposits of oil, far more than those of Ganja to the northwest, making the settlement especially valuable. Baku is also the seat of the Azerbaijani Assembly and headquarters of Aslan, a government-sponsored, native Intercaucasian oil company. Small Town * Makhachkala Makhachkala was founded in October of 1965 as a commercial port on the Caspian Sea. However, due to it's location, neighbouring several oil deposits, Makhachkala is often classified as an oil-drilling settlement rather than a commercial port. * Van Van was founded in January of 1966 as a manufacturing centre for textiles and clothing. In terms of natural resources, Van is unremarkable. However, the salt mining industry is large here. Van is often known to Intercaucasians as a popular holiday destination, due to it's stunning location on Lake Van. Outpost * Grozno Grozno was founded in April of 1966 as an oil-drilling settlement.